Burgonet hunts hat-trick at Salisbury

Burgonet can complete a quick-fire hat-trick in the feature event at Salisbury.

It will be exactly two months since Mark Johnston’s filly made her racecourse debut when she lines up in the British Stallion Studs EBF Margadale Fillies’ Handicap and this will be her fifth appearance.

The daughter of Helmet shaped with significant promise when runner-up on her Southwell introduction over an inadequate mile and she went very close to going one better at Beverley next time over a mile and a quarter, going down by only a short head. She was not winning out of turn when making it third time lucky at Newmarket last month and an opening mark of 80 underestimated her progress as she followed up 11 days later on her first start over a mile and a half at Leicester.

Burgonet is clearly versatile both ground-wise and distance-wise, so coming back to a mile and a quarter on a faster surface is not expected to be a major inconvenience. A 4lb hike is unlikely to be enough to stop her striking gold again in this £20,000 contest.

Urban Icon made a big impression on his Windsor debut and is difficult to oppose in the opening Bathwick Car & Van Hire Novice Auction Stakes. The Cityscape colt looked yet another high-class juvenile off the Richard Hannon production line a fortnight ago, stretching three and a half lengths clear without being asked for maximum effort.

What the form is worth is still up in the air, but Hannon was talking of Royal Ascot and he will have to make it two from two if he is to head for the summer showpiece meeting with realistic claims.

Ahlan Bil Emarati can open his account at the third attempt in the Racing To School Novice Auction Stakes at Thirsk.